Taste: Honeyed, pale, wheat-laden, lightly grainy maltiness tempered by an earthy spiciness, a little tart citrus, floral, some dusty banana and peach, a dot of camphor as the yeasty phenols are introduced. Maple flavor present, a little implied sweetness embodied, which carries you to the drying finish as the spiciness ramps up with a hint of the alcohol warmth detected.

Mouthfeel: A bit beyond medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: Didn't out-and-out love it, but, I will say, it's much better than anticipated. The maple is noted with being overdone and ultimately taking away from the final product and the underlying saison isn't overly sweet, alcoholic, or flabby on the tongue as so many American-made saison can be.

More User Reviews:

Well this is a Southern Tier beer, AND it has maple, I really hope it's not too sweet. Needed something a bit bigger tonight, so this should stack up nicely, and ehopfuly is actually Farmhouse like. Also noticed a lot of space in the neck, like dangerously low fill, which is a bit unnerving and it loses points for that. But bottled date helps, 12/4/13.

The long narrowing neck forces a chugging pour that yields a frothy semi thick 1.5 finger head that fades at a med pace with lots of big bubbles, decent soapy lacing, hazy orange honey colored beer.

Nose smells like a typical Americanized wit, a little farmhouse saison but not a ton. Plenty of wheat no matter how you slice it, creamy wheat, with mild spices, little coriander like spice and touch of other mild spring saison spices, some banana too, very faint clove, some orange zest and citrus, little lemony too, lots of esters through all that, plenty to go around for a few days, and when I take a big whiff I get a little fusel alcohol with mild phenols, but both very light.

Taste starts like an imperial witbier again, Americanized version as well, lots of creamy wheat, tons of it, with some orange peel, zest, citrus, little banana, and tons of esters again. Then a little saison note but not a lot, little coriander, hint of clove, and other mild saison spices, almost mulling tea spices in there with a little herbal tea note even. Then a little booze cuts in, warming and slightly tingly, mild phenols too. Hint of bitterness in there, more like an orange peel bitterness and some from the spices but a touch from hops I think. Creamed wheat comes through again on the back end, turns a little crackery and doughy, as more orange peel, clove, spices, and herbal tea come out towards the finish and a little bit of a yeast flavor, and finally a bit of a maple flavor coming out, which I guess really dried out. The finish brings a nice maple cream flavor, dried maple cream, with dried but slightly creamy wheat flavor, more mild spices and orange peel lingering too, little sticky feeling, hint of warming booze too.

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bod, fairly creamy, plenty of carbonation like typical hef.

Overall OK, but not crazy, more like an imperial hefe with hints of saison in there, I don't think I get any farmhouse style notes at all, more like American hefe and saison blended with a hint of maple on the back end. Booze is noticeable too, but that tends to come from lots of esters, phenols, and dried out maple back end.

In attempt to dry the beer, rather than sweetening it, the mild use of adjunct sugars to would give added fuel for yeast consumption. Thus added alcohol, dryness and carbonation all work to enliven the flavors already present in the beer.

Southern Tier's vernacular take on this tradition sees a Belgian-style farmhouse ale with a heavy yeast and golden-straw color. Bready, frothy and persistent, the creamy scent is laced with banana, white pepper, clove and apple for a scent that straddles saison and the hefeweizens of Germany.

Its creamy sweetness massages the tastebuds with the bready sweetness of cookie dough and fresh yeast. With green apple, faint lemon, orange and pear each taking turns layering on the palate; the rebuttal from spice sets in with white pepper, clove, grassy hops and a glimpse of smoky cumin as the maple reveals more of a peanut skin and shaven pine character.

Its high carbonation keeps the long and lingering residual sweetness held in a creamy and bready state as its sweetness and malt textures are slow to relax. This blanketed character keeps the spice, earth and dryness muted as the ale favors sweetness and added body more than authentic versions do.

"Flemish brewers add sugar as an adjunct during fermentation. We add "American sugar" in the form of real maple syrup made by our neighbors at Big Tree Maple, a farm literally across the road from us. Cheers to collaboration and bit old trees." Brewed in the style of a Farmhouse Ale with Maple Syrup, available in 750ml. bottles and on limited draft.

Poured from a 750ml. bottle to a tulip glass.

(Appearance) Pours a frothy foam head of a pale beige cream tone over a moderately hazy amber body with abundant carbonation with light sediment. Retention is good and lacing is light. 3.75

(Smell) Fermented syrup with a biscuit malt presence and a light spicy and fruity yeast profile. Potency is moderate. The aroma of maple syrup certainly is not difficult to notice in this beer. 3.5

(Taste) Biscuit and caramel malt with a distinct syrupy undertone, finishing quite dry with a slight yeast presence of peppery spice and light fruit. At its current spot, it drinks closer to a Tripel for the feel of a much heavier, and somewhat grainy body. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, lightly chewy, moderately syrupy, peppery and medium dry. Carbonation is full, generating a moderate frothiness and a briskly crisp finish. Body is medium/heavy for the style and medium+ overall. Balance is slightly peppery spicy and grainy over sweet. Alcohol presence is moderate and there are no off characters. 3.75

(Overall) The inclusion of Maple Syrup does change the overall composition of this beer tremendously, generating
a thicker body, slightly more exposed graininess and a higher perceived alcohol presence than usually expected in a Farmhouse ale. Notably, I find the saison yeast used insufficient to produce much of a counter flavor to challenge or balance out the enhanced malt body with its added malt backbone. I'm not too big a fan of this but don't consider it all that awful, it doesn't come off as much of a saison, but as a hybrid beer style, it's passable. 3.5

Bottled on 12/04/13.Not a style I gravitate to very much but any chance I get to try a new ST offering down here I take it.Pours into an Ommegang chalice a hazed honey tinged lighter golden with a nicely formed egg shell colored head that leaves a full ring of lace behind as it settles into a frothy mass.Aromas are lighter with spiced phenols and medicinal notes mainly with a hint of bread.Yeasty phenols are big on the palate with rock candy-like flavors,the maple syrup doesn't really show thru much,there is some sharpness in the feel but is not overly annoying.Well if you like yeasty farmhouse ales you might enjoy this,I don't but still enjoyed it in a small amount.

Pours a hazy golden color, a nice big creamy white head off of the pour quickly receeds to a retentive 1/4 inch layer. Pretty good lacing left on the glass.

Smells very similar to most beers brewed with the French saison strain. Floral, an old candy comes to mind, moritz something?.... Spicey bubblegum. Really all about the slightly spicey French yeast.

Similar to the aroma, French saison yeast is the main player. Floral, phenolic, a bit of a peppery spice, bubblegum. Very Belgian.

Medium in body and quite easy drinking.

A good beer, but nothing too memeroable. Still nice to see southern tier trying new things and coming out with lots of new beers. However, I would like to see more of these American saisons try some different yeasts as they all taste way too similar with the same French strain.

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a Duvel tulip glass. Bottled on 12/04/13.

Appearance: Pours a very hazy yellowish golden orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. Big three finger white head which slowly recedes into a thin creamy layer. Leaves a lot of lacing.

Smell: A yeasty and spicy Belgian style aroma with good hints of fruits and syrup. Belgian yeast with some upfront hints of farmhouse funk, clove, and pepper. Fruity hints of bananas, pear, white grapes, and apple. Some bubblegum hints along with some Belgian candied sugar and maple syrup. Also some citrus hints of orange, lemon, and apricot. Pale malt with hints of wheat, grains, straw, biscuit, and cracker. Wood like hints which supposedly come from the syrup. Hops are very light. A very good aroma.

Taste: Like the smell, a yeasty and spicy Belgian farmhouse taste with big notes of fruit and some syrup. Big taste of Belgian yeast with good notes of farmhouse funk, clove, and peppers. Fruity taste of bananas, pear, apple, and white grape. Citrus fruit notes of orange, lemon zest, and apricot. Sweet notes of Belgian candied sugar and subtle Maple Syrup which gives some woody notes. Also some bubblegum taste. Pale malt with notes of wheat, grains, biscuit, straw, and cracker. Subtle earthy hops in the background. A very nice Farmhouse taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a fairly high level of carbonation. Spicy and fairly drying feel. A little alcohol heat is felt but things are still fairly smooth.

Overall: A really nice twist on a Belgian Saison/Farmhouse Ale. Good yeasty and fruity notes with an interesting woody kick from the syrup.

Grand Arbor is a gold-orange color, mostly clear with a glowing brightness. The white head rises to one finger's height and shows good retention and some impressive stick. It keeps up while throwing down some very nice lacing to the bottom of the glass.
The smell isn't sweet. Instead, it starts off with a bit of must, then offers up some herb and leaf while a light peppery sort of spiciness hits the nostrils.
The taste starts off as a fairly traditional take on Saison, dry and light. It develops notes of pale and darker fruits, a bit sweet but not very, before some drier woods come in. Some clove and a mix of sweet spices and kitchen spices lie lightly underneath, and maple isn't introduced as a major player so much as suggested. It does come in at the finish, even while it remains on the dry side.
The body is medium, the character semi-dry leaning dry from start to finish. It's plenty crisp and smooth with a moderate carbonation while spiciness hits the palate evenly.

A: Pours a hazy golden orange with a fluffy white head on top. Leaves some solid lacing along the sides of the glass. Too opaque to see any visible carbonation.

S: Loads of Belgian qualities right off the bat on this one. Banana and clove are dominant along with a bit of orange peel. Slight peppery spice in the backend. Maple syrup is detectable but would be difficult without knowing it was there.

T: Reminds me a bit of a banana split, with the combination of yeast and sweetness of the maple syrup. Isnt overly sweet but instead compliment the Belgian qualities. Hops do assert themselves adding a bit of uniqueness to the beer.

M: Medium to full body with a solid creaminess to it. Low to moderate carbonation. Alcohol is well hidden on the palate. Finish is mostly crisp with a touch of stickiness.

Overall nice to see Southern Tier bottling some of the Belgian one offs they have brewed recently. This is a good start in the Belgian arena and I look forward to trying more.

I need to admit that I am not a big fan of Belgium style beers. Its something about the yeast, the wild yeast that picks it apart for me.

This beer had a very nice nose, it didnt seem to have that wild far away yeast bouquet, but instead something much more agreeable (for me)

The taste was nice, big , round and soft. Again sort of typical for the Belgium's I have tasted. But this was also very clean. This beer was almost chewable! That may have been because of the addition of maple The finish was long, lingering and asking you to have another sip.